ANIES BASWEDAN, RECTOR, PARAMADIMA UNIVERSITY

Anticipation is building for the return of former jakarta resident Barack Obama.

But not everyone is thrilled by the visit of the U.S. president. There are plans for protests by Muslim groups, despite Obama's calls for dialogue.

We talked with Anies Baswedan, Rector of Paramadima University, who says overall, the reception will be positive.

AB: I think the Indonesians feel very happy and sort of offering a warm welcome to Obama. I know we should not make this visit as a super visit. This is just another U.S. president coming. But the difference is, this is someone who has changed the tone of the U.S, foreign policy. And it has offered hand to extend a better relationship between the U.S. and many in the rest of the world.

IN: Do you think that with having an Indonesian background makes this U.S. -Indonesia a special relationship?

AB: Even the theme of this visit is “Pulang Kampung (Returning Home).” That's the theme. What does it mean? It means Obama presidency put Indonesia in a special place in their mind. And think we need to capitalize on this. We need to take advantage of the fact that we have someone who spent their few years of a lifetime in Indonesia, now is a pilot of the most powerful country.

IN: What should we expect from the visit? AB: We're now member of the G-20. Let's have Obama resonate our capability, our potentials across the globe. Who will serve a better PR than Obama, to say across the globe? Look, I'm in Indonesia and this is a big country, democracy, divers, Muslim majority. The economy is growing one of the three countries that is growing during the crisis. It has tremendous potentials to play a big role in the international arena. If that is being said, and having Obama to come, the world spotlight is coming to Indonesia. It is an opportunity to explain we have democracy and things in the right direction.

Comments (0) 15.03.2010. 05:10

ALISTAIR SPEIRS, CHAIRMAN, SUPERBRANDS INDONESIA

Saturday, March 6, 2010

India has "Incredible India." Malaysia has "Truly Asia." Indonesia has... ?

That's the problem, say leaders in the tourism industry. The country is suffering because it has no clear, consistent brand to compete in the marketplace.

Alistair Speirs is chairman of Superbrands Indonesia, a private benchmarking company in 80 countries. And he lays the issue at the door of government officials.

IN: Indonesia has a brand?

AS: Frankly it doesn't. Indonesia has a brand which gave up 3 years ago. Which is called “something in diversity.” We can't even remember what it is. It's supposed to be replaced but it hasn't. It went on to Visit Indonesia year which is not a brand, just a tactical promotion. So uniquely diverse, what it was before...

IN: Is it merely a matter of money? Is it merely throwing funding at it?

AS: It's funding and expertise. You need money to make a brand work. First you need vision, where do you want to go and what do you want your brand to be? Brands are partly emotional, partly physical. You have tactile characteristics. Mostly they're developed emotions in the tourists. Why should you come to Indonesia? You've gotta have a reason to come here.

IN: There are people with bright minds in tourism... why haven't we come up with a brand?

AS: I believe we got stuck in bureaucracy to be honest. I think the minister (pushed it) upwards to the coordinating minister and somebody put a bill on it. They put a price tag on it which was very unrealistic. Coordinating minister stopped it, bureaucracy, the wheels have stopped. Where nobody...

IN: So politics and bureaucracy… but what about the professionals in the industry?

AS: The industry now have given up. They're working on their own brand. Working on brands per hotel, per destination, per product. And we're doing very well in private sector basis and have an outstanding brand for Indonesia. In Bali, Jakarta, all over the country.

IN: But you look at other countries… they've unified in their campaigns.

AS: It works because you have got a focus, driving force, the world's attention, you got a media buy which drives people to that country. We used to have more tourists than Malaysia. And we used to have more than Singapore. Now, we're so far behind. We're like another industry altogether.

IN: It's been countless themes, many debates, panels. You've been to them countless times, What is it gonna take and what should Indonesia brand be?

AS: A slogan. Always Indonesia. Always surprising. Always Indonesia. Always enchanting. Always Indonesia. Always unique. Always Indonesia. Not over claiming, it's doesn't say it's fantastic. It's all done. Incredible India, Amazing Thailand. We're just honest we're fabulous country we're always Indonesia.

Comments (0) 08.03.2010. 02:30

DONNY PRAMONO, OWNER, SOUR SALLY

Saturday, February 27, 2010

We recently reported on the boom in the frozen yogurt business here in Indonesia.

We want you to now meet the young man behind the success of the popular Sour Sally brand. Donny Pramono is a 27-year-old Jakarta native who turned a $150,000 loan from his parents into 24 stores in four cities, and who now has plans to go international.

DP: I was in Los Angeles at that time and frozen yogurt business was really, really booming. I was one of the fans because my background major in school was marketing in business general. I took my MBA in marketing so I was kinda interested with... I analyze few big brands like McDonalds and Starbucks. Some... like iPhone. How they do their business and stuff like that. So I thought that if I could model some of their successful ways, positive ways to achieve their success, I could do it in Indonesia. So I thought I could bring in the frozen yogurt which was at that time in the early stage of its cycle, its product cycle.

To be honest at that time, I kinda have big challenge, started frozen yogurt in Indonesia. Everybody knows Indonesia is not a very yogurt country like western countries like U.S. or Europe. I'm confident in frozen yogurt because for me fro-yo business and in business in general isn't about the product but how we market it. And how we perceive ourselves to push it into the market with that, I came up with the brand Sour Sally. Which was targeted at that time, our primary target is from design and concept, to women, from age 15 to 24. But from the on, we built on our first primary target and then we targeted our customers to a different segments of demographics.

We target that we could bring this brand to Singapore, by mid-year, this year 2010 and the rest we have received many franchise interest from overseas… the ways that we could bring this brand, this local brand to global stage earlier than later.

Pramono says Sour Sally annual revenue is now between $4-to-5 million dollars.

02.03.2010. 02:51